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Festival Forest, Va.
Celebrate wine at Jefferson's Poplar Forest
In honor of our third president's love of wine, the inaugural Thomas Jefferson Wine Festival will be from noon to 5 p.m. Nov. 21 at his personal retreat, Poplar Forest.
The festival will feature the wineries of the Bedford Wine Trail, as well as other regional Virginia wineries. They include Hickory Hill Vineyard and Winery, White Rock Vineyards and Winery, Gabriele Rausse Winery and Spring Creek Wine Cellar. And Thomas Jefferson (actually interpreter Bill Barker from the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation) will discuss his love of wine and life at Poplar Forest. Gabriele Rausse, often called the "father of Virginia wines," will also speak.
Visitors can take part in wine tastings and sample food from Grapevine Bistro, Old Liberty Station, Babcock House and The Muse, among other vendors. Crafters will display jewelry, art, pottery, etc. Nancy Carter Crump, author of "Hearthside Cooking: Virginia Plantation Cuisine," will sign books, and the McKenzies and Riddle on the Harp will provide live entertainment. House tours will be available throughout the day at a reduced rate. Rain or shine. Buy a ticket in advance online and receive a free one-year subscription to Virginia Wine Lover magazine. Tickets: $15 in advance; $20 at the door. Poplar Forest is at 1008 Poplar Forest Drive, Forest, Va., near Lynchburg. Details: 434-525-1806; www.poplarforest .org .
Colonial cheer Chesney, S.C.
Travel back in time for 'A Backcountry Holiday'
Park staff and volunteers at Cowpens National Battlefield will present "A Backcountry Holiday" at the Robert Scruggs House, 2-4 p.m. Nov. 22. The log cabin, built in 1828, will be decorated for the season and open to the public.
Visitors will get a look at what life was like in the early 19th century. Costumed interpreters will demonstrate and encourage participation in Colonial activities. Visitors - including kids - can learn to make candles, churn butter and spin raw wool into yarn. Visitors can also sit on the lawn and listen to a professional storyteller. Cider and gingerbread cookies will be served behind the cabin. Visitors can also explore the museum, bookstore and one-mile walking trail on the battlefield.
The Scruggs house is two miles past the Visitor Center on the auto tour loop road. The park is 10 miles west of Gaffney, S.C., and three miles east of Chesney, S.C. Details: 864-461-2828; www.nps.gov/cowp.
Parties, parade and more Blowing Rock
Variety of events slated for holiday season
Getting into the holiday spirit, Blowing Rock merchants, restaurateurs and hoteliers are pooling their resources and energies to offer an array of family-friendly holiday events and activities from Thanksgiving to New Year's.
There will be holiday teas with finger foods at the Meadowbrook Inn and free, self-guided Candlelight Parlor Tours throughout town, featuring holiday decor and refreshments. Other events and activities include Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners at Chetola, Crippen's Best Cellar and Crestwood; choose-and-cut Christmas trees; special shopping events; winter sports; musical events; the Chetola Festival of Lights; and New Year's Eve dinners, parties and a torch parade. For event details, visit www.blowingrock.com ; or call the visitor center at 877-750-4636. Rochelle Reynoldson
